Beta Frontiers. Photo: Elena Gritzan
by Elena Gritzan
Well, I always say that I like to check out new venues. Last night’s Wavelength/Silent Shout co-presentation took place at Play (yes, that’s the place beneath swinger’s club Wicked), and the atmospheric oomph provided by the rows of white couches and clusters of plastic chandeliers added to the beats and dark electronica to create a night full of personality. A few fun venue-discoveries: the stage extends into a catwalk, a swing hangs from the ceiling, and the unisex washrooms have no locks on the door.
The showy, sexy music of David Vanden Enden’s boyBITCH project was perfect for the setting. With two sequins and black lipstick-clad back-up dancers in tow, he delivered a set of infectious beats overlaid with over-the-top lyrics. Visual spectacle was at an all-time high. Vanden Enden stood at the head of the catwalk, delivering distorted vocals, while his two accomplices moved and grooved in unison. Glow sticks were thrown, leashes were pulled, and dance-times were had.
Last month I included “Downtown” on my list of favourite songs for the year, spurred on by a dramatic performance at Holy Oak. Last night’s show confirmed it for me: watch out, folks, boyBITCH is going to seduce you and it’s going to be beautiful. Vanden Enden is genuinely excited to be playing shows in the city; he exclaimed to me pre-show that people who show up early for his set are his favourite. Some notes: Toronto, please show up early for this show. Concert promoters, please book them. I want to witness that again.
Blank Capsule’s set was ixnayed due to some technical difficulties (check them out, though, I was looking forward to seeing their blend of sinister electronica). This gave a bit more time to listen to Tarantula X djing, but soon it was Prince Innocence time. Talvi Faaustmann and Josh McIntrye (of Little Girls) have been gaining momentum since last year through a slow trickle of increasingly great singles, and my expectations for their slinky synth sound were high.
The instrumentals were fully on point: grand, pulsing, effective in their simplicity. Faaustmann’s voice was lost in the mix for much of the set, which is unfortunate considering that her vocals are the most striking part of their sound on record. Prince Innocence are a truly exciting band on the verge of going places, but I do not think that they were at their full potential last night.
Final act of the night was Toronto’s Beta Frontiers. Michael Butler’s strength is as a producer and sound-manipulator (his remixes are fantastic), and he is joined on stage by visuals wizard Andrew Olivares. They stand together mixing live – Butler, the music, and Olivares, the patterned visuals – but their set suffers from some growing pains transitioning from the studio to the stage, coming off as more of a DJ set, even if a creatively inspired one, instead of a visual live act. The bass-y sound systems was doing them more favours then when I caught a snippet of their NXNE set, allowing us to be wrapped up in their hip hop samples, Nintendo noises, and DIY-minded beats. Maybe boyBITCH spoiled me earlier in the night, but I wished I had something more to look at.
Keep an eye out for the next Silent Shout show if you want to dance (and who wouldn’t?) and be sure to check out Wavelength’s Thirteenth Anniversary festival next month.
